Journey into darkness
by Yaela Svit-kona
Summary: This does'nt concentrate on their adventures much, only on their romance . . . so if you hate those kind of scenes, don't read! i tried to make it so that a one word description would be 'heartwarming' . . . constructive critiscism appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

**The first, and hardest, steps**

_**Danny's POV**_

**8:45 P.M**

I was on the S.H.I.E.L.D jet back to New York. Peter had been my substitute, since I was unable to compete in the contest to find the champion who would be king. And now, it was to be me! I could not believe it. _In just one short year . . . _I was unbelievably excited just thinking about it, but I did my best to hide it. I certainly owed Peter a lot. To be the king of K'un-Lun was a wonderful honor and duty, one that I accepted gratefully. But then . . .

_Am I really ready for this? To be the king of my home is a huge responsibility. To have power over the lives of my friends and teachers, to make decisions that would impact them . . . Is this really what I want?_

What was I thinking? Of course I wanted it! I was to be KING! A huge honor!

_And responsibility._

I can handle it!

_Can I? _ Those small, nagging doubts would simply not leave me.

I decided to get some rest. Perhaps my path would be clearer in the morning . . .

**The next day**

**4:23 P.M**

We had reached New York. We had stopped for a minute to let Peter off, and I watched through the window as he swung through the air, on his way home.

Home . . . I was still undecided about K'un-Lun. The jet docked at the Tricarrier so gently I barely knew we had landed. I collected my things and walked to the doors. 'Thank you, Julia. Wonderful flying,' I said, smiling at the pretty, 20- year old pilot. She grinned at me. 'Thank you, Dan-,I mean, Mr. Rand.'

'Just Danny is fine.' I smiled, disembarking.

Luke, Sam, and Ava were waiting for me. They were in costume, they must have just come from training. Luke and Ava had their masks off.

'Missed me?' I grinned at them. Luke said, 'You were barely gone for two days. Don't flatter yourself.' But he was smiling. Luke was my best friend. I couldn't imagine life on the Tricarrier without him. Sam floated lazily (upside down) in front of my face. 'Where'd ya go, Danny? Rushing off like that, we barely knew you'd gone. Not that we really know you're there anyways. You usually spend 12 hours in that room, your 'meditation room', right?'

I sighed internally. Sam could never speak without every other sentence being sarcastic or a joke. But he was kind, dependable in a fight, a good friend, and valuable to the team, so I put up with his humor. 'At least I come out for meals and training, don't I?"

'Where did you go, Danny?' A voice full of power. Ava.

'K'un-Lun', I replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She hadn't seemed particularly pleased to see me.

'Why? Was something wrong?', asked Luke, frowning.

I hesitated. Should I tell them that I was the future king? That I had been granted a huge honor? That I wasn't sure about it? That I would be leaving the team in a year?

No. Definitely not. There would be exclamations of surprise, horror, outrage- I needed to sort myself out and decide rationally. Although I would have been interested in seeing Ava's reaction . . .

'No. No, my master simply wished to see me about a matter, that is all.' True enough. 'I'm going to go to my room, guys. Jetlag is catching up. See you later!' I took off.

Behind me, I could hear murmurs.

'He's hiding something.' Sam.

'If he had wanted to tell us, he would have. It's probably personal. He'll tell us when he's ready.' Luke. I could hear the frown in his voice though. I heard him walking away in the direction of the showers.

'Sam.' Ava.

'What?'

'He'll tell us _when he's ready_, okay?'

Silence.

'Okay?!'

'Okay, okay! I won't ask! Jeez, what are you, his fairy godmother or something?'

'Good.'

I smiled to myself.

**The next day**

**5:00 A.M**

I sat in the lotus position, meditating. Once I was completely calm, I set about trying to figure out my feelings about K'un-Lun.

On one hand, I felt like it had been my home for most of my life. I had grown up there. It was a beautiful, peaceful place, one that I loved. And of course, almost the only people I had known were there. Kayla, Adrian, Coral, Yu Ti, Lei Kung and so many more . . . To be their king? To be able to live there for the rest of my life? It was a dream come true.

But . . .

On the other hand, what did I know about being king? Could I handle being responsible for everyone's lives? And there were some things that were not there in K'un-Lun. The food, for instance. The first time I had tasted waffles, I nearly screamed in delight. They didn't have desserts there, either. All food was as nutritional as possible. It didn't necessarily taste good. And of course, my team. I would really miss them, especially Luke and . . . Ava.

'_No! What am I thinking? I don't feel that way about Ava! I think . . .'_

Okay. Time to stop avoiding the subject._ What do I feel for Ava?_

I . . . am not sure. Lately I have been noticing her a lot, thinking about her eyes, her smile, her hair, her strength . . . Every time she passes by or I get a whiff of her perfume, my heart beats faster. I keep wishing for her to look at me as more than a dependable friend. I pay more attention to how I look, what I say.

_So what does that mean?_

I . . . have a crush on her.

My body relaxed. I felt better now that I had admitted it to myself. So . . . if I went to K'un-Lun, I would never see her again. But would anything really change if I stayed? Does she like me at all?

I shook myself mentally. This was about K'un-Lun, not Ava. I had been chosen as king of K'un-Lun, thanks to Peter. His efforts could not go to waste. I could not reject such an honour. Anyway, I would love to live in K'un-Lun.

_There. Settled._

I rose to perform my yoga.


	2. Chapter 2

Ava's POV

**6:30 A.M**

I paced around the room like; well, a caged tiger. Danny wasn't talking to anyone about where he had been and why he had gone. He would probably tell Luke eventually, but I wished he would tell me . . .

Yep. I, Ava Ayala, White Tiger, was in love with Danny. I had actually liked him ever since he came. He was so unlike the boys I had known, all of whose goals in life had seemed to make out with as many girls and swear as much as possible. This didn't include the team, of course, but . . . Danny was just special. He was calm all the time. If something happened, he would deal with it and move on. He didn't waste his time groaning about his luck. He always knew what was best and how to solve our disputes. He held the team together. He was always so kind and gentle.

Once, we found a bird with a badly broken wing. As soon as Danny had seen it, he strode forward and gently picked it up. He had examined it carefully – and then broken its neck. All of us had cried out in horror, but he had said 'The damage was irreparable. It would have died slowly and agonizingly. I put an end to its pain.' We had gone to the park, where he had buried it and planted a lily over its grave. His normally tranquil eyes had been so serious, so disturbed. And yet in some ways, he was still a child. I count myself lucky to have been there when he tasted his first chocolate milkshake. He had stared at the glass for some time, then cautiously took a sip. What followed had been the fastest milkshake slurp in history. I smiled at the memory.

And he looks so gorgeous, too! Perfect blond hair, sparkling green eyes, and a smile that was to die for. Half the girls at school had been crazy about him, but they reluctantly gave up when they realized that he wasn't interested. He didn't snub them, he just never paid attention. He always had a friendly smile for everyone, but it was just that – friendly. Sometimes I wished that he would show just the slightest hint of emotion, of passion, for something (or someone) other than food.

I just didn't know what to do to make him see me as more than a teammate.

_What I always do, I guess . . . wait and hope . . . not that it's getting me anywhere._

I sighed and went to eat breakfast.

**At school**

I was almost done with our maths test. This contributed 30% to our grade, so I was trying to focus as much as possible, but two things kept distracting me. One was Danny. He was one row in front and three desks to the right of me, so I managed to catch perfect glimpses of his profile that, I thought resentfully, were almost made specifically to make me forget the test.

The other was Peter. He had come in late, managed to break two of his pencils, and was now scrawling all over his question paper. What was wrong with him? Didn't he care about about his grades?

My phone rang. 'What?' I snapped. A gruff voice answered me. 'Ava, its me, Peter. Mesmero switched my mind with the Hulk's. You have to stop him from taking my test! I'm-'

There was a huge crash and the line was cut. What was I supposed to do?

No! Time was up! And I hadn't finished my paper!

I grabbed Peter; er, Hulk, and dragged him through the hallways. 'Damn you, Peter. Couldn't you let me finish my test?' I muttered.

'Me not Peter,' said a voice behind me.

'Oh, I didn't mean you, Hulk. Come on, let's go.'

I quickly changed into my costume and told Hulk how to change into his; er, Peter's costume. We reached the top of a building – and Hulk accidentally activated the webshooters. The webs hit a helicopter and Hulk was lifted away. I heard a fading 'Bye, tiger lady' from him.

I was in a dilemma. Should I go after the Hulk or go back to school? Lunch break was almost over. There was another test coming up. I decided to go back to school. This was part of S.H.I.E.L.D's job, wasn't it? Fury could handle it.

I changed and quickly reached school. The guys were waiting for me.

'Where'd you go, Ava?' Luke asked.

'Mesmero switched the Hulk's and Peter's minds."

'What?!'

'Wow, an improvement!', grinned Sam.

I rolled my eyes. 'Yeah, yeah. S.H.I.E.L.D is going to take care of it, so Peter will be annoying you again by tomorrow.'

'Lucky me,' he grumbled.

**4:09 P.M**

I was in my room, changing into some comfortable clothes. There was no training scheduled for today, so we were planning to relax for sometime, then catch a movie and dinner, just the four of us. I let my thoughts wander . . .

You know something that really annoys me? We're supposed to be a team, but Peter still insists on tackling everything possible either on his own, or at most, with one of us. Sure, he's a hero and a friend, but he's hogging all the fun! What are we supposed to do, sit and train in the Tricarrier for fights that rarely come?

Now, Danny wouldn't do that. Danny would -

_Aaaaaargh! Stop! Just stop, okay? What's the point of dreaming about him like this? Go and tell him you like him then1 DO something, don't just sit here dreaming! You're the tiger, remember? You act! What are you, scared?_

Yes, I was. I was scared that he didn't feel the same way about me, that if I tried to make a move, he would ignore me, or worse, it would destroy whatever relationship we had. I was a scaredy-cat . . .

'Hey Ava! When are we leaving?' Sam, yelling through the door.

'We agreed six, right?' I yelled back.

'SIX?! What am I supposed to do till then?'

'I don't know! Maybe your homework, for once?'

'Homework? Its Friday! I have the whole weekend!'

'Go chat up some pretty S.H.I.E.L.D agents, then! Watch T.V, train, do whatever!'

'What are you going to do?'

'I'm going to read a book for a hour and then do my homework.'

'Blech!'

'Hey, did I ask for your approval? Scram!'

He did.

He really needs a girlfriend.


	3. Chapter 3

To all the nice people who for unknown reasons actually like this, im so so so so so SOOOOO sorry I didn't update 4 so long! Please forgive me!

When it was time to go, I threw on a white sweater, a pair of jeans, and a red scarf. The boys were dressed in T-shirts and jeans.

We saw that new movie, Divergent. It wasn't that bad. There was action for me and Luke and sappy stuff for Sam. Sam is actually a bit of a girl, sometimes . . .

We ate at some fancy Italian place. I would have been fine with a pizza, but . . . oh, well. There was still some daylight left, we just wandered around Central Park, laughing and chatting, just like old times.

Sam said, 'I really hope some hot new girl joins Midtown High. I'm running out of girls to hit on!'

I rolled my eyes. 'Sam, have you ever thought of a serious relationship, instead of just flirting?'

'Uh, NO.'

Luke grinned. 'If Sam ever got into a serious relationship, I would call him "master" for a week.'

Sam grinned an _extremely_ evil grin. 'Oh, you are so on!'

A quiet voice said, 'Sam, you cannot just pick a girl and then stay with her for two weeks instead of two days. This bet only counts if you actually fall in love. Agreed?' Danny.

'Agreed, Danny-man!'

_'Danny-man?!'_ Luke and I were startled.

'Ditto for you guys. If any of you ever fall in love, I have to call you "master" for a week. And you have to prove it by taking her, or him' a wink at me 'to the prom.'

'Well, that's easy,' I said. 'Prom is nine months away. It's only August.'

'I already know my date,' boomed Luke.

'Whom?' said Danny, raising an eyebrow. Luke must not have talked to him about this.

'Jessica.'

'Wait, Jessica? As in Jessica Campbell?' Sam was pretending to be shocked.

'Yeah, why? Got a problem with that?'

'I don't, but Parker might. The whole school knows she's got a crush on him.'

'Where did you get that from, _Gossip Monthly _?' I snorted. 'Half the girls in the school also have a crush on Danny. Does that mean anything? They still go out with other boys.'

'Wait, what? On Danny? Are you crazy?' Sam really was shocked.

'You seriously haven't noticed? They gush about him all over the place. Do you know how many people have tried to bribe me for a seat at our table in the cafeteria?'

Danny's mouth was hanging open. I grinned at his expression. "They tried to _bribe _you?'

Luke was laughing. 'Danny-man's a heartthrob!'

'Oh, come on! That isn't fair! How come none of them like me?' Sam whined.

'Some of them do, but you have a bad reputation. Everyone knows you never go steady with a girl for more than a week. Anyway, my point is, for these girls, a crush is just someone who looks good. Most of them have never even spoken to their crushes. So if you really like Jessica, Luke, go for it. I guarantee she'll forget all about Peter.'

'Thanks for the advice, Ava!' Luke smiled at me.

I smiled back. 'No problem.'

'Hey, since when are you an expert on relationships, Ava?' Sam started ribbing me.

'Uh, since I've had to live with three boys and go to a school where the main purpose of everyone's life seems to be to gossip. "Oh my God, he LOOKED at me!"' I mimicked a high, breathy voice.

The boys roared with laughter. I laughed with them too.

Just then, a whine interrupted us. I tilted my head, trying to locate the source of the sound. Another one pierced the air. 'It's from over there!'

I raced over to a clump of bushes with the boys right behind me. We found a brown and white puppy with a broken leg. He was terrified of us. As soon as he saw us, he tried to hop away, but that hurt him even more. He gave a scream and lay still, watching us with terrified eyes. I felt a huge wave of pity and slowly stretched my hand out to pet him, but he struggled to get away. Then a hand touched my shoulder. 'May I?' asked Danny. 'Of course,' I said, hastily moving over to make place for him. He let the dog sniff his hand, then slowly stroked him until he calmed down. He then gently examined his leg. 'Is it bad?' asked Luke, a worried frown creasing his forehead. 'No, not really. He must have been hit by a car, but only a glancing blow. May I borrow your scarf, Ava?'

'Here you go. Should I get a stick?'

'Yes, that would be helpful. Thank you.'

I jogged off to look for one. Sam came after me.

'Why do we need a stick?'

'For a splint, doofus! Danny's going to set the bone.'

'Ohhh . . .' I grabbed a flat stick and brought it back.

Danny had already set the bone. I watched as he made the splint. He was very skillful.

'Have you done this before?' I asked.

'Yes, for my friend Kayla. She was one of my best friends in K'un-Lun', he replied, still concentrating on the splint. 'She fell from a tree one day. I had to set the bone and carry her back to her house. I really miss her . . . There, that should do it. Are we going to take him back to the Tricarrier?'

'I don't think Fury would be too happy about that. How about we drop him off with Peter?' suggested Luke. We all agreed and set off to Peter's house.

'What happened to Kayla?' Sam asked. Thank you, Sam! I was dying to know.

'K'un-Lun is a different dimension that's always kind of floating around. It only comes to Earth once in ten years, but my dad built a machine so he could access it whenever he wanted. That's how I can come and go. There are always portals and gateways to different worlds there, and one day Kayla just disappeared. We think she might have fallen through one of the portals or', he swallowed,' been eaten by wolves. We searched for her, but we never found her.'

I was curious. Danny usually never talked about his life before he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. 'Did you have many friends in K'un-Lun?'

"Not many. There weren't many children there. There was me, Kayla, Adrian, and Coralyn. Coralyn hated her name, she forced us all to call her Coral, but generally she was the sweetest person you could find. When she fought, though, she was a tigress.' He looked at me and smiled. Then his voice grew quieter. He seemed far away, lost among his memories. 'Kayla was the opposite. She was tough and strong, but when she fought she stayed on the defensive. Adrian was a lot like Kayla, but he could be sensitive as well. He adored Coral. They both were a year older than Kayla and I, so they should be married by now . . .'

Luke had been watching him carefully. 'You had a crush on Kayla, didn't you?'

My heart stopped. So this was why he wouldn't look at any other girl. He already had a girlfriend in K'un-Lun. He had probably been to visit her.

'Yes, I did. But it was just a crush. I like someone else now.'

We all stared at him, stunned.

Then Sam found his voice. 'Is - is it someone from school?'

He smiled that gorgeous smile. 'You could say that.'

'Please tell me it's not a cheerleader!' I said, trying to get a laugh, but I felt empty. He loved someone else. I wasn't even on his mind. What I really wanted to do was crawl away to my room, curl up under the sheets, and cry myself to sleep. Then I realised something was wrong . . .

He was suddenly staring straight ahead, his face drained of color. We followed his gaze and saw a pretty girl with thick, curly brown hair and laughing brown eyes. She seemed to be our age. She was petite and had an elfish kind of face. She had half – turned to smell a flower.

'Kayla?' said Danny in a strangled whisper.

She couldn't have heard, but she turned anyway. Her eyes widened and she came up to us.

I snuck a look at my teammates. Luke looked interested and slightly worried. Sam was staring at her with his mouth open. Danny looked as if he had seen a ghost, which I guess he thought he had.

'What a cute puppy! Is he yours?' she asked.

Danny got a hold on himself. 'Um, no, we found him behind some bushes. We think a car hit him.'

'Can I hold him?'

'Sure, but be careful, his leg is broken.'

She took him carefully and tickled his snout with one finger. He tugged on it and then tried to bite her ear. She laughed, a clear sound like water on crystals.

A twinge of jealousy flared up in me. So this was the girl he had had a crush on, huh? What was so great about her? Anger and resentment and jealousy and shock and the urge to cry all battled inside me.

'Where are you taking him?' she asked.

'We're taking him to a friend's house, where he can heal.' said Luke.

'Do you mind if I take him? I promise I'll take good care of him! You can come and check on him whenever you want. My friends' pet just died and he would be perfect for her when he gets better.'

'Um, sure. We'll come and check up on him once a week.'

'What's your name?' Sam. Jeez, he was practically drooling!

'Kiara. What are yours?' She looked around at us expectantly.

'I'm Sam, he's Danny, he's Luke, and she's Ava. Where do you live?'

'I live in this apartment', she waved to a complex, 'on the fifth floor. 5a. Come and see him anytime!'

'Sure. You should probably get a proper splint on that, though . . .' I said.

'Oh, I will. Hey, where do you guys go to school?'

'Midtown High.'

'Oh, really?' She suddenly had a disquieting twinkle in her eyes. 'that's interesting. I have to go. I'm sure I'll see you guys soon. Bye!'

And poof, she disappeared! Danny still looked like he had been slapped with a fish, Sam like Christmas had come early, and Luke like, 'What just happened?'

'We should go, it's late. Fury is gonna kill us if we're not back soon.' I said abruptly, starting to walk.

Sam started gushing about how beautiful she was. I tuned out and looked at Danny. 'Are you okay?' I asked.

'I . . . I do not know. That girl was not Kayla.'

'Are you sure? You look like you've seen a ghost.'

'Kayla would have recognized me instantly. I knew her for eight years. That girl had no idea who I am. And Kayla's eyes are a lighter shade of brown. But then who is this Kiara? She bears a stunning resemblance to Kayla, no matter who she is. I need to find out . . .' He wasn't talking to me anymore, he was thinking aloud.

He memorized the shade of her eyes? Terrific! I was on the verge of tears, but I tried to hide it as much as I could. I held it together till we reached the Tricarrier, then muttered some excuse and ran to my room, where I dived under the sheets and cried until I was out of tears.

He loved someone else. He didn't love me . . . he would never love me.

He would never love me!

I stayed in my room as much as possible during that weekend. I finished my homework, studying for tests and projects that were due months later. I reread all the books I had and played all my songs over and over again until I was sick of them; and then I didn't have anything else to do. Nothing to distract me, to take my mind off of Danny. To help me forget that the love of my life was in love with someone else. And even if he didn't love her, the spitting image of his first crush was right in front of him.


End file.
